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30.5.15

Learning to love my Mummy Body.

When I fell pregnant I knew my body would change. I was prepared for my belly to grow to house my little bundle of joy, I expected my boobs to get even bigger in preparation for all the milk I would soon be producing and I even was prepared for the weak bladder that I knew was going to come after giving birth. What I wasn't expecting, however, was the stretch marks that looked angry and deep
whilst I was pregnant, the feet that swelled and never seemed to go back to normal and the boobs that now, after the milk being long gone, look like 2 saggy old sponges when not being supported in an industrial wired and padded bra! I really wasn't prepared for any of this and it has taken me a good long while to become accustomed to my new Mummy body.

Now, don'g get me wrong, I have never been skinny. I wouldn't even class myself as ever being slim. I have always been quite curvy with hips, a bit of a bum and quite a large bust and I can honestly say I was happy. I would happily wear a bikini on the beach and felt confident in the majority of the clothes that I wore.

When I fell pregnant and started to get a bump I did everything in my power to stop stretch marks. I used every single lotion and potion on the market in an attempt to avoid them but it just did not work. My bump was covered in deep, purple, angry looking stretch marks and I hated them! I hated them to the point that I was going to have a bump photo shoot done but I canceled it as I couldn't stand the look of my bump in it's purple, stripy nakedness. I took solace in the thought that once Bubba was here, things would go back to normal and the marks would fade. I believed that I would look like those glossy, beautiful, glowing women you see in TV adverts and in the celeb magazines. It wouldn't happen straight away but it would happen eventually. Well...almost 9 months later..I am still waiting for things to go back to normal.

I am not moaning here as I appreciate that I am lucky to have gone through pregnancy and the reason all of this has happened is because I have grown my little bambino and I would do it all again in a heartbeat as he was worth it. It is just hard to learn to love a body that seems so alien to me. I have been left with a saggy, stripy looking, bumpy belly which almost hangs down in a flap. I now have boobs which I am scared to let out of bra as they almost fall under my armpits and I have feet that seem to have grown at least half a size so therefore fit none of my pre pregnancy shoes!

I struggled for a long time to feel comfortable in my own skin. Yes I could do with loosing some weight and yes it's not going to happen if I don't get my butt moving but for the first time in my life I felt unattractive and felt embarrassed about my body in front of hubby. This was totally new ground to me and if I am honest, I found it really hard to deal with. The pictures I had seen in the media were a lie and unrealistic. I felt deflated, ugly, unattractive and in a bit of a hole to be honest.

Luckily, I have a very loving, caring and supportive husband who has helped to me learn to love my new body and feel beautiful again. I also have a great support group of Mummy friends who are all in
the same boat, but what about those women who don't? Is the medias perception of what us Mummys should look life after birth healthy? Is it realistic? Is it fair??

In my opinion, no. Learning to love my brand new Mummy body has been a long and very interesting journey but after a lot of conversations with friends, hubby and even other mummy bloggers, I have come to accept myself. I grew a human in my belly for god sake!! I spend my time playing with Bubba or with Hubby and friends enjoying life rather than counting my calories or stressing about how I look in my jeans and I'm okay with that. I am proud of my stretch marks and saggy boobies! They are my battle scars and I worked bloody hard to get them!

12 comments:

Great post! It's such a weird thing becoming accustomed to your postpartum body. I expected to just zap back to normal but my body shape itself seems to have changed even though I've gone back down tot he same weight, still nothing fits haha. #mummymonday

Wonderful post Ami :) I too have been struggling with getting used to my body now and I think we have had a similar journey. I've always been a bit curvy too but now I'm a lot saggier and my stomach is absolutely covered in stretch marks! But we made perfect little people so I guess it's all worth it! xx

Lovely post and so nice to hear that you do now feel proud, and that you had the support around you to feel like this now. I have never felt so under body confident as I did after breastfeeding. Birth makes me proud of my body now. And my #maternitymonday blog is on this theme too! Thank you for sharing your story.

I let myself go after I gave birth and now trying to lose the weight that I gained. Saying that, I can lose a wee bit of weight but there are changes in my body that I can never lose like my lose tummy and the stretch marks. I am okay with them being on my tummy. I find them as a reminder of how once my body is a vessel that took care of a life that is my son =) #TwinklyTuesday

Oh man, can I relate to this one! I've had three children in a very short span and lets just say things are a bit more wobbly than before. It's taken me quite a while to not feel embarrassed about my body too. I'm not all the way there yet, but I'm working on it :D. Thank you for the lovely read. #twinklytuesday

This is a lovely, inspiring post!! I've never been a skinny-minny either — big bum and chunky legs — but having the twins has changed my shape even more!! That said, I carried these two amazing little people for 8 months and I've got to feel so proud of my body for that! Thanks so much for linking up with #TwinklyTuesday x

Strangely this is a post I can complete get. Ok, not from the fact of pregnancy and how your body changed but more about body change and parenting. During the pregnancies I indulged when the boys mum craved. After birth we ate like crap to keep us going. Within a year my body changed and actually I needed to do something about it. That being said though afterwards I never sought perfection not like I did before. And I've definitely loved the Daddy look. You're so inspiring though so I hope other new mums see this. Enjoy who you are and be proud. Thanks for linking up with us on the #bigfatlinky hope to see you there this week

This is so true, my body has changed even worse after my second baby. I'm really struggling with the stretched skin on my stomach. I wouldn't swap my babies for the world, but it takes time to reach acceptance. I had very angry stretch marks after my first and they will fade I promise. #wineandboobs

Great post. I hear you! I am still struggling to accept mine. The days of looking great in a bikini are over for me wwwaaahhh but I have fabulous kiddies and that is all that matters. Thanks for linking with #wineandboobs - Emma Handbags and Snot Rags

Through Ami's Eyes is written by Ami Roberts. Living in the South of Essex, Ami writes about all aspects of her life including her experiences as a Mother of two to Pickle and Smidge, lifestyle and beauty tips as well as travel and product reviews. READ MORE